My reading habit is a fragile one. I am forever feeling guilty that I am not reading enough, not going to reach my yearly goal, that I am falling behind on goodreads… Why would this be such a fragile habit, when it’s something that I genuinely enjoy doing so much? I blame it on bad books. Seriously.
I am partially at fault here because I seem to be incapable of simply putting down a book I have already started, even if I don’t like it. Stupid, right? I mean, life is too short to spend it reading something we don’t enjoy. But somehow I feel bad leaving things unfinished, and I keep telling myself that I can learn something even from a mediocre book (valid point, but do I have to??).
If you are also dreading going back to the book you are currently reading, take this as an intervention: put it down, and maybe pick one of the following instead:

The Tattooist of Auschwitz
★★★★★
For the past week I haven’t been able to shut up about this book. It’s based on the true story of Lale Sokolov, his years in the concentration camp, and how he found love there. It hooked me right from the start, and I read it in under a week (which is fast for me), under the watchful eye of a bunch of confused people on the metro, who were probably wondering why I was crying. Heather Morris finds the perfect balance between love and despair, and keeps the reader on edge until the very last page. The determination to stay alive of some of the characters and their ability to remain hopeful even in the worst of circumstances is truly inspiring.

No Word from Gurb (Sin noticias de Gurb)
★★★★☆
No Word from Gurb, which I read in its original version in Spanish, is a hilarious novel by Eduardo Mendoza which takes place in Barcelona in the early ’90s. The main character is an alien that has been stranded in the city, and is looking for his partner, Gurb, to help him fix the spaceship. In the meantime the alien tries to blend in with the humans, adopting their customs and behaviour, resulting in a hilarious parody of the city and its inhabitants. This is a great book if you are feeling stressed or anxious, to get your mind off of things and just have a good laugh. Some parts were so funny I even had to take pictures of the pages and upload them to my Instagram Stories… that’s how you know.

Everything I Know About Love
★★★★☆
Everything I Know About Love is the memoir of Dolly Alderton from her teenage years, to her 28th birthday. Now, I am not usually much of a memoir person, I much prefer a novel, but boy, was this book good! Dolly tells the unfiltered truth about situations we have all (or most) been in: breakups, job interviews, drunk nights, friendship… and she does so in an almost healing way. I swear after reading some of the chapters I had to let out a sigh of relief and think to myself “it’s not just me”. I laughed, cried, cringed and all the in-betweens, and finished the book wanting nothing but more.

Note to Self
★★★☆☆ (but maybe more like 2.5)
I wanted to read this book because I have followed Conor Franta on Youtube for years now, and have always enjoyed his content. In this book you can find some of his photography, poetry and bigger blocks of text that feel a bit like diary entries. Sadly, this book was not what I was expecting. The photography was beautiful, as well as the edition of the book, but the text felt a bit… self-centered? It was not a biography per say, it was his “unfiltered, unedited thoughts”, but I found it hard to relate to them or to find any value in them that I could apply to my daily life. I must confess, I skimmed through the last 20 pages, so I could move on to the next book.
And there you have it! The books I have been reading recently. Soonish I would like to read An Edited Life by Anna Newton, as well as The Only Story by Julian Barnes. Do let me know if you have any good book recommendations that I can add to the list, and I will make sure to report soon with another volume of Currently Reading.
I love your writing style! It’s so natural, and it feels like you’re speaking directly to me. That book about the alien in Barcelona sounds hilarious…I’m gonna go out and buy it this week!
Keep writing! I love your posts!
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Thank you Devon! This means so much to me 🙂 No Word from Gurb was the funniest book I have read in a long time. Would definitely recommend it.
xxx
Isabel
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I’m so bad about dropping books I don’t like! Currently, I’ve evolved to quickly skimming all the way to the end, though I know that the best thing to do would just be to cut my losses and move onto another book that I could potentially love. // The Tattooist of Auschwitz has been on my TBR for awhile now! Glad to hear you really liked this one 🙂 // No Word from Gurb sounds like so much fun! // I read Everything I Know About Love! I don’t reach much non-fiction, but memoirs are definitely my favourite kind of non-fiction. // Note to Self seems more like a book just for aesthetics 😛 -Audrey | Book Book Chick
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Honestly even skimming through the last pages is already a success for me. You should definitely get yourself a copy of the Tattooist of Auschwitz, but be prepared with some tissues 🙂
Thank you for stopping by, Audrey.
xxx
Isabel
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nice read, great post.
new post
https://www.melodyjacob.com/2019/04/work-outfits-vintage-work-dresses.html
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Oh wow, I haven’t read any of these books yet but I really want to read Tattooist of Auschwitz now. Thanks so much for the recommendations!
xo, Maria
https://www.miamiamine.com/
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These are some great suggestions, I definitely will be checking these out.
Candice x
natalyaamour.com
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Thank you for your comment, Candice. I am glad you enjoyed them ❤
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Literally bookmarking this to go book shopping this afternoon! That first one looks so good – Note To Self, quite literally haha
xx, mel
http://melinspired.com/mexico-travel-guide-tips-plan-next-vacation/
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Thank you Mel! I hope you enjoy whichever you end up buying!
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I totally feel you! I hate leaving things unfinished so I end up wasting more time on an unlikable book waiting for something that will make me like it. Has happened to me three times already. Love your picks, by the way! The Tattooist of Auschwitz is on my TBR list! Thanks for sharing.
Flea
http://www.thefleamarcat.com/
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I knoow! It’s such a waste of time. I am not doing it anymore this year, I have promised myself. I hope you enjoy the Tattooist of Auschwitz ❤
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I have never related to post more than this haha – I’m terrible at dropping books that I dislike, much because of the same reason as you mentioned. I always feel bad for not finishing them, and hold out on the thought that maybe it’ll get better in the next couple of chapters. Sometimes it’s just the wrong moment / time to read a certain book, so now I’ve been “temporarily” putting books down with plans to try again in the future.
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That’s a good way to look at it! Maybe if I tell myself I am just “leaving it for later” I won’t be as hard on myself about no finishing books..
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